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Essentially, if the Vikings wanted Patterson to remain on the team (he’s a free agent this spring), they would need to ensure that he would see playing time as a wide receiver despite years of evidence to the contrary.

Everyone knows Peterson is coming off a knee injury that forced him to miss all but three games last season so he does not have the bargaining power. Everyone knows Peterson is about to turn 32, which is up there for a player at his position. Time will tell what happens, but for now we’ll be subjected to the same, bland game of ping pong both sides have been playing for weeks.

“I mean, the thought (why aren’t we running the ball?) crosses your mind, but as a player you do what the coach tells you to do,” Sanu said. “He’s called plays like that throughout the season all the time. He’s been aggressive, we’re an aggressive team, so we go out there and we do what we do.”

Kudos to Sanu for answering the questions with a level head. Translated across any other profession, we would not expect a CEO to candidly talk about a failed merger every time he appears in public, nor would we expect the chef whose restaurant was destroyed by a zero-star review to be congenial about it. This has the potential to be a life-altering moment in time for every player on that Falcons team, but at the moment, they seem to be handling it far better than expected.

“It’s gotten better,” Sanu said of the lingering what ifs. “But there are times I wake up like…”

McCown, 37, will be a valuable commodity this offseason. While his career might be at the point where he’s an emergency starter or sage veteran backup, those positions are not taken lightly by teams breaking in rookies or looking to make a Super Bowl push.

The “four or five” teams should not be difficult to figure out, and more could come out of the woodwork as the spring progresses.

LeGarrette Blount turned 30 in December, and that¡¯s typically a negative milestone for NFL running backs. Blount is unfazed. He said he feels like he could play for 100 more years.

During an appearance on NFL Total Access on Monday, Blount said that despite his age, he has plenty of gas left in the tank.

Game Kids Mika Zibanejad Jersey ¡°On that point, I feel great,¡± Blount said. ¡°I¡¯m in amazing shape. I feel like I could play 100 more years if I have to.”Jason Garrison Elite Jersey
First of all, the oldest person on record, Jeanne Calment, had her age verified at 122 years and 164 days at the time of her death. If Blount plays 100 more years, he would exceed that mark by over seven full years, which seems unlikely.

Secondly, and more practically, running backs typically don¡¯t last long past age-30. Frank Gore, Darren Sproles and DeAngelo Williams are all 33, and they¡¯re still playing, but those three are the oldest running backs in the league right now. The concept of a 130-year-old running back seems like bit of a stretch.

Blount, of course, was not being literal. He was simply expressing his desire, as he looks toward free agency, to remain with the Patriots.

“I just want to make sure that I go to this free agency with an open mind knowing that I definitely want to go back to New England,” Blount said. “I love it there. I love the culture. I love the players. I’ve become close with a lot of the guys.¡±

If you noticed freshman Rubino last year, it was while he was missing two kicks during the Tennessee game. Upon return from Knoxville, though, he was mostly fine. He missed only the one PAT and was perfect on field goals inside of 40 yards.

Authentic Kids Kerry Wood Jersey Three years ago in New Orleans, Wall was “dunker of the night” under the short-lived team format for All-Star Saturday night that replaced the usual head-to-head competition. On Sunday, he was better off sticking to dunks. Wall had three of his trademark left-hand flushes, including one that saw him dribble through traffic, but missed a pair of layups. Wall also had a game-high four steals.

Like Antetokounmpo, James was nowhere to be found on the court in the fourth quarter as the West pulled away. He didn’t even get off the bench. James had some lowlights, missing a layup and having an alley-oop he tried to bounce off the ground stolen. But he also made one of his two 3-point attempts from very deep and had several impressive dunks, including one in which he went off the backboard to himself with power.

It wasn’t that long ago that the Seahawks appeared ready to move on from Lynch. Last offseason, the tailback threatened a holdout if the team did not renegotiate his contract. While the team ultimately gave him a little extra money for 2014, it appeared the two sides were headed for divorce. It was reported in October that Seattle had grown tired of Lynch’s behavior and was transitioning to Russell Wilson as the leader of the locker room. With young backs Robert Turbin and Christine Michael in tow, it seemed Lynch was playing his final season in the Pacific Northwest.Elite Kids Steven Stamkos Jersey
However, Lynch delivered a spectacular season. He rushed for over 1,300 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns. He also set personal bests for receiving yards (367) and touchdown catches (four). Accordingly, the Seahawks have shifted direction on Lynch’s future with the team.

Perhaps the only thing preventing Lynch from signing a new deal is the possibility of retirement. Lynch, who is dealing with chronic back issues, has considered hanging up the cleats for good. If he does walk away, Lynch leaves $7 million in base salary and roster bonuses on the table.

Once, Wheeler was routinely lumped into the same future-ace class as the other monsters in this rotation. That was a long time ago. Other than a one-inning rehab stint last year, Wheeler last pitched in 2014, had Tommy John surgery in March 2015 and had a frustrating summer of setbacks that eventually wiped out what was supposed to be his comeback season.

Game Womens Tramaine Brock Jersey Wheeler is easing his way back this spring. Despite the blitz of tabloid headlines this week, he believes he’s merely working his way through “a little early soreness.” And since he has dealt with so many issues over the last two years, “I kind of know how to tell the bad [soreness] from the OK and worse,” he said. As upbeat as both he and his team are that he’s finally healthy enough to pitch again, he probably has more to prove than anyone in this group — especially considering that both Robert Gsellman (2.63 ERA in seven big-league starts last year) and Seth Lugo (2.68 in eight starts) look like excellent rotation options themselves.

The 2017 season will be equally challenging for Royals assistant GM Rene Francisco, the man who signed Ventura as a teenager, and the array of coaches who invested so much time and patience in his development and had begun to see signs of greater maturity and commitment.

Shortly before Ventura’s death, assistant GM J.J. Picollo spoke with Dominican field coordinator Victor Baez, who told Picollo that Ventura was as focused as the Royals’ coaches had seen him. Ventura spent more time than ever working out at the team’s Dominican academy this offseason, and he was scheduled to throw his first side session of the winter two days after his fatal crash.Henrik Lundqvist Elite Jersey
“He always had that smile, and no matter how mad you were at him, he was going to make you laugh. The impression that people in the game had of him was different than the actual person”

Addressing the monumental coaching change that his Montreal Canadiens wrought on the NHL on Tuesday, general manager Marc Bergevin made it clear that this was not a decision made on a whim.

Instead, two months of major regression and unmet potential started the wheels of change turning in his head. That those wheels hit full speed as the rival Bruins put their excellent coach out to pasture is mere coincidence, Bergevin seemed to insist.

Two days after the Bruins fired Claude Julien, Bergevin met with his top player leaders (captain Max Pacioretty, Shea Weber, and Carey Price) without Therrien present. It set off alarm bells, although our own Canadiens blog preached restraint:

But Fleck was adamant about bringing the phrase with him, obviously given its personal nature as well as how integral it is to his brand.

“We’re working on it,” Fleck said Wednesday while in attendance for the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award, for which Fleck was a finalist. “There’s just some things to go through, and hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to bring it with me.”

It was also doubtful that a new coach at Western Michigan would want to hang on to the slogan of his predecessor and not try to put his own stamp on the program. With that in mind, it seemed a slam dunk that cooler heads would prevail and a settlement would be reached. Now the boat’s being rowed in Minneapolis.

Elite Timofey Mozgov Jersey The 2017 NHL All-Star Game has come and gone, but the NHL has released some videos that will surely keep the festivities going throughout the Monday off-day.

Limited Cody Wallace Jersey Most notably, the NHL mic¡¯d up a whole bunch of the All-Stars throughout the Skills Competition and the All-Star Game. One of them was P.K. Subban, obviously. And, as you might expect, he got up to a bunch of antics. Including:

He hasn¡¯t quite progressed in terms of putting up numbers, but it¡¯s impressive that he¡¯s elevated through the Russian system at such a young age. Kayumov doesn¡¯t turn 19 until Feb. 14, and he¡¯s played better in the VHL, so he should get another KHL crack relatively soon. The Blackhawks have some upside here.

Our list is admittedly geared more towards high-upside prospects than guys with a higher probability of being middling players, and that¡¯s what Kayumov is. At this point, he¡¯s a fantastic skater who still needs to show he can put together the rest of his game. That speed is tantalizing, though, and makes him a good project.

Kayumov has split the 2016-17 season between three leagues in Russia. He started in the MHL, the country¡¯s top junior league, before getting a call straight up to the KHL, arguably the second-best league in the world. He briefly struggled there before he got bumped down a level to the VHL, the second division of senior Russian hockey.

The results across all three levels have been mixed, as Kayumov has only 23 points in a combined 42 games this season. As an offensive-first prospect, you¡¯d prefer to see more production, especially at the junior level. Kayumov also spent 2015-16 in the MHL and put up a higher points per game rate (31 points in 39 games).

Game Womens Torry Holt Jersey Mike Glennon: Glennon is an intriguing case because he’s actually started 18 games in his career and thrown for 30 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. At 6-foot-6, Glennon is the type of pure pocket passer Shanahan supposedly covets, though he’s only completed 59.4 percent of his career passes. Glennon isn’t likely a franchise solution, but he profiles as the type Shanahan might be able to elevate to solid starter status.

A drafted rookie: Again, Shanahan hasn’t even had a chance to evaluate this year’s draft class and until he does, he won’t be able to determine the direction he wants to go at the position for the long-term. The Niners own the No. 2 overall pick, which means they should have their pick of quarterbacks if there’s one they really like. The early read on this draft class is that there won’t be a signal-caller worth taking that high, though North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer have been mentioned as possibilities in media circles.

The Niners could also wait until the middle rounds to find someone Shanahan believes he could develop while using their top pick to get the best player available. Either way, it’s a safe bet the Niners will spend a pick on a quarterback at some point.

Damarious Randall recorded three interceptions in 2016 despite missing six games because of groin surgery.

But itâ€™s a reminder of just what the Packers are facing at cornerback. And why they finished 31st in the NFL in passing yards allowed last season.Authentic Kids Niklas Kronwall Jersey
Gunter, Randall and Rollins were all part of the 2015 rookie class, while Dorelant, Hawkins and Waters were in the 2016 class. All but Randall and Rollins were undrafted.

For the most part, as Josh McDaniels answered questions at Super Bowl LI media night, the New England Patriots offensive coordinator kept his poker face.

Whether it was a question about the Atlanta Falcons’ pass-rushers, the pressure of a title game or what it¡¯s like to work for Patriots coach Bill Belichick, McDaniels kept things low-key. And then came: ¡°How do you know when you¡¯re ready to be a head coach?”

With that, McDaniels quickly broke into what was easily his biggest smile Monday night, followed by the heartiest of laughs.Hector Olivera Limited Jersey
Josh McDaniels’ experience coaching in championship games — he’s attempting to win his fifth Super Bowl as a Patriots assistant — could help the 40-year-old again land a job as an NFL head coach.Grady Jarrett Limited Jersey
While the Raiders were partners with Adelson early in the process of getting a stadium in Las Vegas that would be shared with UNLV, there was a growing feeling that NFL owners were not entirely comfortable with Adelson’s involvement. Especially with reports that Adelson wanted a piece of the Raiders as an owner — Raiders owner Mark Davis has said the team is not for sale — or a path to ownership.

“We’ve always said we were going to maintain the integrity of the game by making sure there was a separation between sports gambling and the NFL,” Goodell said. “That is something that we think is imperative for us. We want our fans to know that the game they are seeing unfold on the field does not have any undue influence. We recognize gambling occurs out of the market place.

“But this is something, from our standpoint, we have rules that are in place. The Raiders have not asked us to compromise those rules as it relates to our policies. We will continue to have that separation going forward.”

y making those decisions, though, coaches can have an enormous impact on winning and losing games. All the work a coach puts in during those 80-hour weeks can be for naught if he makes a hyperconservative call and swings his win expectancy negatively by 30 to 40 percent on game day. There’s no other equivalent thing a coach could do during the week that would be similarly damaging, outside of telling his starting quarterback to stay home or preventing anybody from watching film.

Let’s take a step back through the recent history of the four coaches remaining in this year’s playoffs and sort through who we would want on the sidelines if it were our favorite team lining up in the conference championship game.

To be clear, though, this is strictly an analysis of decision-making. We’re not arguing about who does a better job of installing an offense or teaching players fundamentals, because that happens out of view. And with these four, there’s an obvious candidate in first place and an obvious one in last place, even if his team came through despite some sloppy decision-making last week …

Yes, the Falcons are playing much better on defense and have a certain confidence coming off the divisional round, but facing Rodgers and his variety of weapons presents a much bigger challenge. It starts with defending Randall Cobb out of the slot, a task expected to be put in the hands of rookie nickelback Brian Poole in man-to-man situations and perhaps even as part of the zone. Fellow rookie De’Vondre Campbell, a linebacker, expects to be matched up against tight ends Jared Cook and Richard Rodgers, with Cook being the better athlete but Rodgers possessing the better hands.

Update: Bryant has reportedly agreed to a five-year deal worth $70 million, $45 million guaranteed, and Thomas has reportedly agreed to a similar deal with $43.5 million guaranteed.

We’ve been here before. The only thing new between Dez Bryant and the Cowboys this year is the brinksmanship over a possible holdout. As late as Aug. 26, 2014, Bryant and the Cowboys were expressing optimism about a deal. A week after that they had tabled negotiations for the start of the season.

Authentic Youth Landry Jones Jersey By November, we learned that Bryant fired his agent, Eugene Parker, for the second time and replaced him with Tom Condon through a special arrangement with Roc Nation. Don’t forget about those curiously timed leaks about Bryant’s off-field behavior and some damning security footage that never existed. We knew this standoff was coming.Authentic Youth Lanny McDonald Jersey
By the end of the 2009 draft, the Steelers had signed Redman as a free agent. “Everybody cried tears of joy,” he said of the moment he got the call. “I called my mom. She was so excited. She said, ‘You’re going to take me to a Super Bowl.'”

Redman had a superb training camp in 2009 and stunned coaches with his two-touchdown performance in the Steelers preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. He became so popular with reporters that Mike Tomlin once said, “Sorry to interrupt you, Isaac” when he passed by Redman to give his daily camp briefing.

Towards the end of the fourth quarter, Troy Polamalu hit Ravens QB Joe Flacco’s arm, causing him to lose control of the ball. LaMarr Woodley took advantage of the fumble, running the ball nearly 20 yards to the Baltimore nine-yard-line. The Steelers capitalized on that turnover when Redman caught a pass from Ben Roethlisberger, broke a tackle, and scored the team’s lone touchdown with less than three minutes left in the game.